Beneficiaries of the Lafayette Res Run for Education are the local public schools and the services and programs of the Chamber. In 2019 we donated over $28,000 to our schools! Sign up now! We "run" through Tuesday, November 3!

Registration for all races is $25 plus fees and parking. Race packets that include our traditional long sleeve t-shirt will be available Friday, October 30, 1pm-4pm at 251 Lafayette Circle.

Get ready for Lafayette's Dress Up Drive! Homes, businesses, and cars are all getting decorated for the Dress Up Drive! Check out the map and plan your route for Halloween night at www.lovelafayette.org/Halloween. This is a COVID-19 friendly, bring your own candy event. So please do not pass out candy, remain in your car/yard, and maintain physical distance. Watch video below. Learn more here >>

Joyfully sponsored by local Lafayette Realtor The Dana Green Team and Branagh Development, who together have sponsored the environmentally-friendly downtown Lafayette twinkle lights for the 2020 Holiday Season. Learn more at lafayettechamber.org/lights.

Become a lifetime Friend of the Chamber

A Friend of the Chamber membership provides a way for community members to support the efforts of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. We are 73 years strong and our mission continues “To promote and maintain a healthy business climate and to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Lafayette.” 

All aspects that make up a community are important to us: schools, residents, churches and synagogues, community organizations, activities, and the city government. Chamber members work with representatives of all these groups for the betterment of our community. A lifetime Friend of the Chamber membership is $150 per family. Learn more here>>

Join Diablo Ballet and Macy's Walnut Creek for their first-ever Covid safe fashion show featuring Diablo Ballet dancers modeling the latest men and women's holiday fashions right off the runway on Wednesday, November 4, 12 noon, at Macy's 2nd Floor Dress Department. This free event is limited to 25 people* safely distanced in-store and will also be broadcast live in the comfort of your own home on Diablo Ballet's Instagram and Facebook pages.

Macy's generous contribution benefits Diablo Ballet and Diablo Ballet School.

*In order to save your physically distanced seat to join us in person, you must register here by November 2nd. Macy's has strict safety protocols in place. Masks are required!

If you'd like to watch online, no need to register. Please watch Diablo Ballet's Facebook or Instagram page at 12 noon on November 4th and join us!

Diablo Ballet kicks off its 27th Season with Julia Adam’s The Nutcracker Suite. 

Filmed live and streamed virtually to ticketholders November 13–15. A twist on the holiday classic, the Diablo family and daughter Clara check into the Fairmont Hotel on Christmas Eve. Capturing the magic of the holidays, this ballet will delight all audiences. As a special add on, Diablo Ballet will also present its annual Sugar Plum Party virtually via Zoom on November 14 at 3 pm. Diabloballet.org or 925-943-1775. 

Enjoy a cappella online at the first-ever High School Notes, presented by Kaiser Permanente and Diablo Regional Arts Association. This digital concert will be emceed and directed by Deke Sharon, producer of The Sing-Off and Pitch Perfect movies, will feature local high schools from across the East Bay, and be professionally mixed and edited for at-home enjoyment.

For more information about participating schools and ways to watch, visit www.draa.org/presents/hsn.

Gold Coast Chamber's Next Virtual Concert Experience - Bach Inspired

The third concert in Gold Coast Chamber's Bach Shorts concert series, Bach Inspired, will be live-streamed via YouTube Live on Sunday, November 8 at 4:00 PM Pacific Time.

Featured cellist Robert Howard weaves a powerful story of Bach’s universal appeal by collaborating with cellists from Kenya and Colombia. Robert performs Bach's 4th Cello Suite and his special guest cellists perform selections from Cello Suites #1,2, and 3, showing how Bach has transformed their lives.

As a ticket holder, you will also have access to the concert for one week after the performance! That means you can still enjoy the concert even if you are not available to see it live, and you can watch it again and again during the week.

Bach Shorts tickets are $20 per concert. Watch the promo video here. Concerts are live-streamed via YouTube LIVE. Purchase online at www.GCCPmusic.com or by calling (925) 283-3728.

You can now watch excellent international films in the comfort of your home any time! Simply click on the link below and follow the directions. Further information is available on our web site at www.internationalshowcase.org

CONVICTION:  https://distribfilmsusvirtual.vhx.tv/products/conviction-international-film-showcase

MY DOG STUPID: https://distribfilmsusvirtual.vhx.tv/products/my-dog-stupid-international-film-showcase

November selection, RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN: https://www.filmmovement.com/raining-in-the-mountain

It will become available virtually on November 6. This is the first time in 10 years that we are bringing a restored classic!

Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery / JPG@The Bank

Have you been into your Lafayette Art Gallery - Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery at the Bank? Maybe you have seen the colorful sculpture out in front while buzzing around town. Or maybe you’ve been to one of the 100s of events for artists in that past. The gallery is dedicated to helping you connect with the right art for your home. Please stop in during public hours Weds.-Sat to see an array of curated, contemporary art mostly from Bay Area artists.

Lafayette Gallery Hours: Weds. - Friday 2pm-6pm, Saturday 12pm-6pm.

3525 Mt. Diablo Blvd. (Corner of Moraga Rd. and Mt. Diablo Blvd.) www.jenniferperlmuttergallery.com

Artify Orinda - Kath Balamuth's San Pablo Reservoir

Maggie Boscoe’s Artify Orinda presentation to the Orinda City Council on Oct.20 included Kath Balamuth's San Pablo Reservoir, a 44" x 30" painting framed across two Big Belly recycle units. The Council was supportive of the program. Stop by to see the lush border she painted around the Reservoir with our native California lilac (Ceanothus) at 59 Moraga Way in Orinda. For more info go to http://lamorindaarts.org/artify.

The November virtual gallery boasts two artists showing work in The de Young Open, Christian Ehrhorn and Judith Feins; John A. Barry, the inventor of trAction painting; and Denise Goodman-Lachowsky, hat designer extraordinaire. Learn all about The de Young Open from Ehrhorn and Feins. Ehrhorn invites you to his fine arts gallery at 39 Moraga Way, across from Orinda Theatre Square. The Lamorinda Arts Council's online gallery page contains images of their artwork and videos at https://lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries/.

Curators Denise Nomura and Aniston Breslin are proud to present artwork from six student artists from Saint Mary's College themed The Human Conditional. Caed Folkestad, Carly Hodes, K. Isaac Kim, Amanda Moser, Sienna Miller and Andrew Toland offer a multifaceted body of work in mixed media, video, collage, paintings and more. Laura Elayne Miller, visiting Professor of Art Practice at Saint Mary's, said, "My students have been incredibly energized by the opportunity to share their artwork with the community." We hope you will enjoy their exploration into the roles of human beings as fosterers of subjective realities. To view the virtual gallery of their artwork images and videos, visit https://lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries/.

Missing your creative tribe? No need for that - you are invited to join lovers of the spoken word and visual art at their last program of 2020 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 15. Emerging writers read from their work interspersed with local artists speaking about their creative process. Guest presenter Judith Feins will tell us all about her 30" x 40"Water's Edge oil painting #464 in Room 6 of The de Young Open. Learn more at http://lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words. View their Oct. 18 program at https://youtu.be/7ENa-iU5Ju4.

Creating in Place – Bay Area artists are welcomed to exhibit and sell their work created during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place pandemic. To explore this opportunity to inspire others with your artwork visit https://lamorindaarts.org/creating-in-place/

The schedule for the first ever Lamorinda Idol Winter Edition, open to youth singers from all over Contra Costa County and Idol Alumni from around the world, is below. For more details on the Lamorinda Idol program and to see Finalist performance videos from past seasons, click HERE.

Jan. 3: Audition videos due

Jan. 15: Finalists announced

Feb. 28: Finals videos due

Mar. 14: Live online Awards Show to announce the Winter Edition winners.

To celebrate the125^th anniversary of the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is hosting The de Young Open through January 3, 2021. Nothing like it has ever been seen as the call for artists went out only to artists living in the nine Bay Area counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma.

A staggering 11,514 artworks were submitted by 6,188 artists from nine counties. Every artwork image was reviewed anonymously multiple times by a group of qualified jurors who did not know the identities of the artists. When you visit the nine Herbst Exhibition Galleries (12,000 sq. ft.) displaying 877 artworks by 762 visionary Bay Area artists, you will notice the galleries are in thematic groupings.

Congratulations to the East Bay artists in the show: Christian Ehrhorn, Judith Feins and Nancy Vachani of Orinda; Karen Frey of Oakland, currently showing work at Christian Ehrhorn Fine Arts Gallery in Orinda; Linda Huffman of Martinez, Carolyn Lord of Livermore; and Jennifer Perlmutter of JPG@TheBank in Lafayette.

Themes include Black Lives Matter, social justice, global warming, feminism, political and economic equity, LGBTQ, San Francisco inspired artwork, COVID-19, abstraction, nature and the human figure in all age groups. All COVID-19 restrictions are in place such as masks, social distancing and limited entry via ticketed reservations. To view all artwork in the exhibit go to https://deyoungopenexhibition.artcall.org/pages/web-gallery.

Image: Nancy Vachani of Moraga's Pi Day at the Exploratorium, a 20" x 16.25 oil painting #635, is on display at The de Young Open in Room 6 through Jan. 3, 2021.

The Moraga Art Gallery announces a new art exhibit, Spaces, Inside and Out which will run from October 16 - December 24, 2020.

Visit the Moraga Art Gallery – open Friday thru Sunday, noon to 3pm. Starting in November we will be open Thursday thru Sunday, noon to 3pm.

Join us for our virtual Open House on Saturday, November 7 at 5pm. This will be a great opportunity to meet the featured artists and ask them questions about their art. 

You will find the link to join the Open House reception on the Moraga Art Gallery website: https://moragaartgallery.com

This exhibit features the work of member artists, Debby Koonce and Angélica Samame.

Debby Koonce is a plein air painter who draws inspiration from natural settings reflecting the changing light of the day and season. Whether painting locally or while on travel, she is inspired by vistas, architecture, quaint alleyways and park lands.

Angélica Samame enjoys painting women in colorful and multifaceted ways. She has found that being quarantined has a silver lining, since it has offered her the time and opportunity to experiment with new painting styles. 

Moraga Art Gallery is a cooperative featuring the work of eighteen established local artists and artisans and five guest artists whose work includes painting, sculpture, jewelry, print media, ceramics, photography and woodworking. 

To safeguard our gallery staff and visitors, we require everyone visiting the gallery to wear a face mask and to maintain social distancing by keeping at least six feet apart. The gallery has hand sanitizer for guests to use when entering the gallery and gloves will also be available at the front desk for handling prints and ceramics. We are limiting the number of customers to four people at a time.

For more information, visit the gallery’s website: https://moragaartgallery.com, call 925-376-5407 or email moragaartgallery@gmail.com.

Debby Koonce, Atop Old Borges Ranch, Acrylic on Canvas

Angélica Samame, Friends, Acrylic on Canvas

Straight from the Mill Valley Film Festival in October, Mountain Shadow is thrilled to bring an audience favorite, “Veins of the World” for our November ‘virtual’ film selection; to be presented online Nov. 14th & 21st.

A family drama, “Veins of the World” is the story of 11-year-old Amra, child of nomadic herders tending the sweeping lands of the Mongolian steppe. When his work tending sheep is finished, he devours YouTube videos with his friends, dreaming of being featured as a singer on Mongolia's Got Talent with his folk hymn "Golden Veins." As greedy gold mining companies begin threatening the community's traditional way of life, Amra's father organizes an opposition group within their close-knit clan. English subtitles.

The film is free for film society members, but general admission online ‘tickets’ are available. See the website for details: http://mountainshadow.org.

Entering its eighth year, Mountain Shadow continues to bring the best in foreign and independent filmmaking to Walnut Creek; presenting one exceptional new release feature film each month.

Currently, the monthly selections continue to be presented virtually online. As community members find themselves continuing to spend more time sheltering in place, the film society provides a unique opportunity. Under normal circumstances, five screenings are held each month in the Walnut Creek downtown library. The shows will return to the library once the venue reopens and it is deemed safe to do so, sometime in 2021.

Over the past seven years, the organization has grown to 500+ members, and become a recognized non-profit community-based arts organization. In a few short years, it has become renowned among graduate film schools for its short film competition each September which draws aspiring filmmakers from all over the country.

Annual membership dues of only $120 remains the same as it was when the film society began in 2014. For more information, go to mountainshadow.org, or contact the director, John Bennison: jb@mountainshadow.org / 925-787-6965.

Performing Academy's mission is to help students build confidence in themselves through performing arts training. All programs are designed to enhance performance and life skills by instilling students with technique, discipline, and professionalism.

Acting, Acting for Film, Voice Over, Group Voice, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Broadway Tap, Ballet, Creative Movement, Ballet/Tap Combo, Musical Theatre Dance. ENROLL HERE

For more information visit performingacademy.com or contact Rena Wilson, Executive Director/Co-Founder at (408) 540-4373, rena@performingacademy.com. Performing Academy is located at 83 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette.

Featuring local youth and teen performers, professional headliners and special guests from the Broadway stage in a heartwarming series of winter-inspired showcases you won't want to miss.

EVENING SHOWS

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.peterpanfoundation.org.

In addition to our virtual Winter show, the PPF is busy creating and sharing music and magic throughout the season!

We are hosting a special Halloween Zoom party for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, preparing a special concert of "oldies and classics" to be shared virtually with local retirement homes and bringing our annual Wish Upon A Star Veteran's Day performance to Children's Hospital Oakland in a new virtual format, to be shared with patients through the hospitals closed circuit TV system.

Please consider a donation to The Peter Pan Foundation so we can continue to create and share our music, magic, love and light with the community. Donation link can be found on our web site at www.peterpanfoundation.org.

by Dave Lankford directed by Michelle Ianiro

ONE NIGHT ONLY - Friday, October 30, 8pm, Facebook.com/TownHallTheatre

NIGHT OF THE LIVING is a thrilling and emotional piece that deals with relationships, loss, and connection during an unprecedented global crisis. This production contains graphic language, adult situations, and mild scares.

NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT TO WATCH

This event is free, but donations are welcome! Click here to donate.

Details at Facebook.com/TownHallTheatre or TownHallTheatre.com.

"Featured Artists Show," featuring noted artists Catherine Fasciato (oils) and Nancy Meaden (ceramics) will run through November 7.

Currently, the the Valley Art Gallery is open on a limited schedule: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon - 5:00 PM.  Appointments to see works, or the new show, are also available outside of regular business hours by calling or emailing the Gallery.

View the collection online at our website. Or, for a real-world viewing of all work in our current inventory please visit the gallery.

Free and open to the public! 1661 Botelho Drive, Suite 110, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

www.valleyartgallery.org; (925) 935-4311; email valleyartgallery@gmail.com.

No one should face Alzheimer’s or other dementia alone. Caregivers and all those impacted can get the support and information they need without leaving home. The Alzheimer's Association's free 24/7 Helpline is available around the clock, 365 days a year for decision-making support, crisis assistance, and education on issues families face every day. 800-272-3900

Emotional Support + Financial Support = A Better World!

Since 1999, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley’s Scholarships program has provided financial and emotional support to high school, community college, university students and returnees to the academic community. Each applicant has expressed a desire to advance through education by maintaining a designated grade point average, volunteering in campus and community projects, charting an academic timeline and availing themselves to an interview.

Scholarships Committee members look forward to following the additional accomplishments of these remarkable students in the ensuing years.  Most recently, Scholarships Committee member Lesley Salo received an update from Claire Costelli, Scholarships recipient 2018-2019. Claire matriculated from Diablo Valley College and graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business in May 2020.

Claire’s letter of appreciation included such insights as… I would like to personally say thank you to every individual who contributed to my education. Your financial assistance and investment in me, my academics, and my future means the world to me… I would not be where I am today without your help and support...I feel extremely fortunate and thankful that (Assistance) League helped reduce my financial barrier…the gratitude I have for the Assistance League is immeasurable. You have greatly impacted my life and I cannot thank you enough for the opportunities your organization has given me. Your kindness and generosity are extremely selfless and admirable. 

The Scholarships Committee is funded by Assistance League of Diablo Valley Thrift Shop at the Way Side Inn, Lafayette, as well as corporate and personal contributions.

To learn more about the Scholarships program, as well as Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s other philanthropic programs, please visit this website: assistanceleague.org/diablo-valley. Find Scholarships Applications in upper, right half of screen. Please note that all Scholarships applications for 2021-2022 will be available November 15.

We know health is precious. Throughout the pandemic, Cancer Support Community has been closely monitoring the cases and statistics in the Bay Area as well as CDC and local health department recommendations.

To participate in any of our excellent virtual programs, visit the CSC website at https://cancersupport.net and click on the program calendar. You are now able to register online for our classes and workshops after easily setting up an account. To be connected with any of our support groups, please call us at 925-933-0107.

Friends Corner Book Shop at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center campus reopened for curbside service only on Tuesday, September 8. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10-2 and Saturday from 9-1. The Shop is still unable to accept new donations.

If there is a specific book you would like to purchase, please request at friendscornerbookshop@gmail.com. A volunteer will let you know whether or not it is available. There will also be an opportunity to “window shop” as they will be placing books and other items in the windows. Please provide exact change or a check for purchase; checks may be made out to FLLLC. In addition to the books offered for sale in our shop, the Shop has over 1,800 books for sale on Amazon. Masks and social distancing will be required at time of pick up.

Hospice East Bay has been caring for patients and their families in our community since 1977. We are proud to be celebrating our 34th annual Tree of Lights. These ceremonies have provided a way for families and friends to honor their loved ones and find solace in the symbolism of light as the names of their loved ones are read. Hospice East Bay has been caring for patients and their families in our community since 1977.

The funds raised by these ceremonies make it possible for us to provide hospice care to patients who are not covered by insurance. Your support also allows us to offer additional services and programs, such as music therapy and children’s grief programs, which are not covered by Medicare.

East County, Sunday, November 1, 5:30 pm

Rossmoor, Thursday, November 5, 4:30 pm

Pleasant Hill, Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 pm

Martinez (also honoring our United States Veterans,) Saturday, November 14, 5:30 pm

Danville, Friday, November 20, 5:30 pm

Alamo, Tuesday, November 24, 5:00 pm

Concord/ Clayton, Tuesday, December 1, 5:00 pm

Blackhawk, Friday, December 4, 5:00 pm

Orinda, Saturday, December 5, 4:30 pm

Walnut Creek, Monday, December 7, 6:00 pm

Moraga, Sunday, December 13, 5:30 pm

Hospice East Bay is proud to be part of this caring community, especially during this challenging time. Our mission remains the same: delivering high quality care to our patients and families, even those with COVID-19.

Hospice East Bay operates six Thrift Shoppes throughout Contra Costa County, featuring a wide range of vintage items, clothing, fine and costume jewelry, collectibles, furniture, household items, art work, books, CDs and DVDs—all donated by members of our community. Check out our new online shoppe at www.hospiceeastbay.org/onlineshoppe.

Thank you for always being there with your support when we need you!

3470 Buskirk Avenue, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, (925) 887-5678,

Lafayette Community Foundation’s (LCF) major donors now have the opportunity to direct their donation to causes that are meaningful to them. If you donate $500 or more, you may direct 50% of your donation to one of LCF’s new Excellence Grants funds (detailed below) while the remaining 50% of your donation will go into the Friends of the Foundation fund. This unrestricted fund gives LCF the discretion to award grants to a wide variety of local nonprofits, helping these organizations achieve their mission of serving our community.

All donations under $500, will be directed to the Friends of the Foundation fund.

LCF has reevaluated its Excellence Grants categories and created new funds.

The new funds are:

For more information and to donate, please visit http://www.lafayettecf.org.

When you donate to LCF you will receive a complimentary face mask and we will donate, on your behalf, an additional mask(s) to local first responders and seniors in need.

Are you an organization that is in need of masks? Contact LCF at (925) 284-8214.

The Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center is currently accepting applications for working members for the 2021 garden season, which, COVID healthcare guidelines allowing, will open on March 13, 2021. 

Community members interested in becoming members can download a membership application from the website www.lafayettecommunitygarden.org. They should fill it out and send it to the address listed on the application form.  Plans for next year include a rich educational program of classes and workshops. Community members are invited to drop in during garden workhours which will be listed outside the garden.  Also, the garden community is initiating a LITTLE FREE PANTRY, which will be located outside the parking area. The objective of the pantry is to “TAKE WHAT YOU NEED and LEAVE WHAT YOU CAN”.

All of us, at some time or another, have probably wandered past the Lafayette Historical Society, located on the ground floor of the Library on Golden Gate Way. And some, during “non-COVID times” may have even visited the Society’s archives and history room and learned something they didn’t know about Lafayette’s past.

And who knew that the Society also maintains operates the City’s very first fire engine? Old Betsy as she is known, is a 1919 Model TT Fire Engine. Yes, that’s Old Betsy in the Library’s parking garage window.

The Society raises operating funds by a combination of its membership dues, newsletter sponsorships, book sales, the not-to-be-miss “Breakfast with Santa” event, and through the popular “Speaker Series.” Due to the COVID pandemic, the Society’s history room has been closed and the Speaker Series canceled. It also appears that the “Breakfast with Santa” will also have to be postponed this year. All that is our way of saying that the Society really could use the community’s help right now. If you have a chance, take a look around the Society’s Website where you can listen to a collection of oral histories from many notables Lafayettans, including Bill Eames, Larry Blodgett, Ed Stokes, Steve Falk, Jon Frank, and Jack Marchant. And, if there’s anybody who knows how to work on a Model T, or knows how to drive one, the Society could sure use your help with Old Betsy. Visit the Society’s membership page now to find out how you can become an active member of this esteemed local gem. You can also call (925) 283-1848, or email Mary McCosker, LHS’s President, at lafayette.history@comcast.net.

Libraries are the cornerstone of a just and equitable community, providing free access to information and unfettered opportunities for exploration, education and growth. The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation is proud of the crucial role we play in our community.

Upcoming LibraryLive Online programs share powerful stories of diversity, inclusion and courage. Join us for these two inspiring programs and when possible, DONATE to support the Lafayette Library and Learning Center.

November 9, 2020 Purchase your signed copy of The Cold Millions at Orinda Books and join best-selling author Jess Walters (Beautiful Ruins) as he discusses his latest novel. Visit www.LLLCF.org for more information. To purchase The Cold Millions visit Orinda Books. Watch Jess Walter’s video trailer for The Cold Millions HERE.

December 2, 2020 Photographer Michael Collopy’s third book, Courage, highlights that we may see courage where others do not, and invites readers to question their own perceptions of what courage means. Visit www.LLLCF.org for more information.

Lafayette Library on YouTube:  Past programs can often be found on the Library’s YouTube channel. Visit now to discover the remarkable story of Beate Sirota Gordon who, at 22 years of age, became the architect of women’s rights in Japan, and artist Laura Wheeler Waring an African American painter from the 19^th Century whose work now hangs in the National Gallery.

Stay in the know about Library programs and the latest news subscribe to the Library newsletter AdLib HERE.

Homes, businesses, and cars are all getting decorated for the Dress Up Drive! Check out the map and plan your route for Halloween night at www.lovelafayette.org/Halloween. This is a COVID-19 friendly, bring your own candy event. So please do not pass out candy, remain in your car/yard, and maintain physical distance.

You also don’t want to miss Lafayette Recreation’s Thanksgiving Break Camp options. Skyhawks Sports Multi-Sport Camp will be open 11/23-11/25 at the Lafayette Community Center or bring camp to you with Camp Awesome In A Bag! For more info and to register, visit www.lafayetterec.org.

LPIE’s two most recent podcasts introduce listeners to the LPIE art program and to Katherine Walton, the Culture and Climate Teacher on Special Assignment at Acalanes. Both are incredible examples of the impact donations to LPIE have on students at all stages of their education. Listen and subscribe at LPIE Podcasts podcast.  

We are very grateful to our Spirit Van drivers for providing free pick-up and delivery service for our passengers.  Email dispatch@lovelafayette.org or call 925-283-3534 if you need something picked up and delivered or to learn about utilizing GoGoGrandparent: an Uber/Lyft type of service that doesn’t require a smart phone.

Every Friday, 7am-8:15am, Zoom Link at https://lamorindasunrise.org/speakers

 6: Bailey Farren, Innovative Fire Fighting

Learn more about the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club here.

In honor of Veterans Day (November 11) the Rotary Club of Lafayette in partnership with Lafayette Ace Hardware, you can purchase an American Flag Kit through November 5th (flag, pole and bracket), for only $25 including tax (+ a $3 credit card fee). A Lafayette Rotarian will deliver the flag kit, fasten the bracket to your storefront, and your flag will fly from November 7 - 12, on patriotic holidays, or on every day throughout the year!

If you’re interested in participating in the ‘Let Your Flag Fly’ project, or have questions, please contact Rotary President Mary Lou Till at mtill@rockcliff.com or at 925-212-4546.

Lamorinda Village has partnered with Lamorinda CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) to help non-driving seniors evacuate during wildfire emergencies. If you are a housebound senior, please contact Lamorinda Village at info@lamorindavillage.org or call 925 283-3500 and we will connect you with a CERT volunteer. 

During this pandemic, we have provided over 1000 free shopping/pharmacy deliveries to all Lamorinda Seniors. We have made over 1500 check-in calls (so crucial during this heatwave/smoke/fire threat). We have offered at least 4 zoom activities, presentations, conversations a week to alleviate the loneliness of sheltering at home for so long. We have stuffed and delivered emergency go bags and negotiated discounts for back up batteries in advance of the inevitable blackouts.

Lamorinda Village has a Shelter-in-Place Program for Seniors with free grocery delivery and pharmacy pick up. We are a local nonprofit organization created by older adults and supported by volunteers dedicated to helping older Lamorinda residents who want to remain safely and independently in their homes.

For Seniors requesting service, please either email to info@lamorindavillage.org or call (925) 283-3500, and include: Full Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Delivery Address,

and Store Preference.

If you would like to volunteer your time to help, please email to info@lamorindavillage.org, and include: Full Name, Email Address, and Phone Number. If you can’t volunteer, please consider donating to Lamorinda Village.

- Deer Hill Vineyards

Join us on Nov 19 at 7pm. Purchase tickets at: tinyurl.com/Nov19-Lamorinda.

Since the pandemic hit, Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa has increased meal service 69% due to the rise in need from the community. To help meet the increase in need, Martinez and Pittsburg dining rooms are now serving meals 7 days a week. (Antioch, Oakley and Walnut Creek are still serving 5 days a week.) We greatly appreciate the support we receive from the community. To help Loaves and Fishes meet the increase in need, please donate here: http://bit.ly/2Sp92X1 and/or join their Poker Tournament!

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is excited to announce that we have received funding to develop a pilot program to assist seniors with their everyday errands. The Friendly Helpers Program (FHP) will assist seniors with grocery shopping and picking up much needed medication at a local pharmacy. “ During COVID-19, with most of our seniors sheltering in place, it is fortunate that MOWDR received this grant, from the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, to provide errand running services for our seniors,” said MOWDR Division Manager of Health and Wellness Division, Cynthia Black.

To qualify for the Friendly Helpers Program please read the guidelines below:

For more information contact Eileen Stephens at (925) 482 2622 or Tuyet Iaconis at (925) 891 4872.

Are you interested in giving a Senior Citizen or Veteran a ride to his or her medical appointment? Can you spare a few hours a week? You will be able to make your own schedule. If so, this volunteer opportunity is perfect for you! Our volunteers give rides to individuals who cannot use other forms of transportation due to mobility issues. Mobility Matters is a nonprofit organization that services Contra Costa County. Contact Mobility Matters at 925-284-2215 or at david@mobilitymatterscc.com.

Monument Crisis Center would like to thank the Lamorinda community for your tremendous support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since mid-March, we have distributed nutritious, life-sustaining food to over 25,000 people.

To keep feeding families, seniors and children most affected by this crisis, we need your help! To make a contribution online, visit monumentcrisiscenter.org/donate or text MCC to 41-444.

Non-perishable food donations gladly accepted at the Center located at 1990 Market Street in Concord, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9am-12noon (no glass containers or expired foods please).

Please save the date and join us virtually for our Heartfelt for the Holidays celebration on Saturday, December 5, 2020. Pre-show:5:15 pm; Program 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Help us meet the need in 2021!

For more information, visit www.monumentcrisiscenter.org.

As American children attend school online due to COVID-19, record numbers of these children are targeted by sexual predators. It is for this reason that New Day is now supporting three times as many children than we did at the start of this pandemic. When you support New Day for Children, your gift provides safe housing, specialized therapy for sexually abused children, education and medical care. Your kindness is lived out as you generously give the gift of hope and healing to America’s sex-trafficked children. Give the gift of life and hope for a bright future to these children - it is never more important than it is now.

The Orinda Association is once again holding a One Warm Coat drive beginning Nov. 1- Dec. 15. Donations of clean, very gently worn coats of all sizes, for men, women, and children can be placed in the bin outside our office M-F 9am-4pm. Location: The Orinda Volunteer Center across from the Orinda Library elevator and next to the fountain. Tax donation receipts are available.

At SHELTER, Inc. we believe everyone deserves a home for the holidays. This holiday season, help us create a warm and memorable celebration for low-income families by adopting a family! We have over 500 families that need your help. When you adopt a family, you’ll be helping low-income families in Contra Costa and Solano Counties.

We have individuals, as well as small and large families in need, we are asking for 2 to 3 gifts per person from their Wishlist. Gifts should not exceed $75 range and all gifts need to be wrapped and labeled clearly with family Last name and ID provided when adopting a family. You will be required to sign up for a time to drop off gifts. Learn more here >>

SEED would like to extend a warm welcome and introduction for new families! SEED is the Special Education Enrichment Development Foundation - a Lafayette-based, volunteer-run, non-profit community organization dedicated to supporting the Special Ed community.

We serve families whose children have an IEP, 504, or who are simply struggling. SEED builds productive relationships between our parents and with our District, and provides targeted programming to address diverse learning needs. The programs we fund include recess facilitation, after school social skills play groups, educational seminars, support groups and socials for parents, and teacher training. During this time of social distancing, we are currently focused on producing parent education workshops via Zoom and providing resources via our Facebook page, website and email newsletter. Please visit us online to learn more!

Guest Speaker: Sandra Ann Harris, author of "Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide For Plastic-Free Living."

Please join us for an inspirational evening with local author Sandra Ann Harris who will discuss plastic pollution during the pandemic and the publication of her new book "Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide For Plastic-Free Living." The book is a practical guide to living with less plastic at home and beyond.

During her presentation, which is co-hosted by Sustainable Lafayette and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, you'll be sure to pick up some easy new tips to tune up your plastic-free lifestyle in every room of your house. Plus, you'll learn about how waste during the Covid 19 crisis is piling up, including single-use PPE, like the blue polypropylene masks we're seeing littering the streets, disposable takeout containers, online shopping plastic packaging, etc... But don't despair, Sandra will guide us by sharing many easy tweaks we can make to significantly reduce our plastic footprint.

Longtime Chamber of Commerce member and local eco-minded citizen, Sandra is the owner of ECOlunchbox, a local plastic-free food container company that's a Certified California Green Business and socially responsible B Corporation. If you'd like to read the book, it's available at Reasonable Books, a new chamber member business, next to Trader Joe's in Lafayette. We hope you'll join us for this fun, local and interactive evening of eco-friendly conversation. Presentation will last 1 hour and be tailored for adults as well as children ages 12 and older.

Links to register will be available on the hosts websites prior to event date!

Lafayette local nonprofit, Trust in Education, is collecting donations for its 11th annual shipment to Afghan families. This Saturday, October 31st, is the last day to drop off your clean donations in plastic bags. Thank you to all that have already donated! 

If you have any questions or would like to help email TIE at trustineducation@gmail.com

Wells Of Life is a 501(c)(3) that drills water wells and teaches sanitation and hygiene in rural Uganda, where one out of five children die from dirty water before their fifth birthday. As a part of the fight against COVID-19, the charity is also distributing soap and surgical masks to hospitals, orphanages and senior living facilities. Please support this effort by texting the word WATER to 56512.

Photograph is of one of our Advisory Board members, Fr. Max Ssiekiwala, delivering soap to a woman in a rural village; our Country Director Adrian Laurentiu meeting with a District Governor; boxes of our soap at one of our distribution points, and Fr. Max handing soap to a nurse at a rural health clinic. www.wellsoflife.org

The White Pony Express “circle of giving” is a model whereby surplus food & goods are picked up and delivered to neighbors in need, with love and in the spirit of serving selflessly. Join with us as we share our community “Playbook” to collectively raise the $500,000 needed to strengthen our partnerships, serve our friends in need and enable the organization to operate flexibly and responsively.

Over the next two months, we will release “Seven Chapters” of our interactive Playbook – and how timely to do so in 2020, the 7th Anniversary of White Pony Express! Each new chapter will tell the story of how YOU – the volunteers, companies, funding friends, and partner agencies – play an important role enlivening and energizing our circle of giving. We will also share how new collaborations have helped broaden and deepen our impact.

The challenge is great… and growing, especially for struggling families and people experiencing homelessness. Fifty percent of working parents have reported job losses or hour reductions due to COVID-19, and that number rises in underserved communities (53% for Black parents and 59% for Hispanic/Latinx parents). In Contra Costa County, the number of individuals and people experiencing homelessness has skyrocketed, up 43% since 2017. A heartbreaking 1 in 4 Americans are skipping meals or relying on food donations during the pandemic – often for the first time.

At White Pony Express, we have tripled our food donations and are experiencing a dramatic rise in clothing requests at the White Pony General Store. Pallets of food, arriving by the truckload, have necessitated additional staff, vehicles, equipment, technology, training and safety measures. And new programs have been created to reach friends in the deepest pockets of need in Contra Costa County.

It is our joy to present WPE’s Playbook and our hope that together we will raise the funds needed to keep these critical channels of service flowing in our community. We are grateful to be on this journey with you, to offer ways we can lift each other up and find a “yes” to our neighbors’ requests for help. Our goal is to inspire you, appreciate you, share how you can help, and have a little fun along the way! www.whiteponyexpress.org

Plan to attend the Virtual Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 11:00am Due to the Coronavirus, this year’s ceremony will be held virtually on Contra Costa TV, available to watch at www.contracostatv.org.

The keynote speaker is Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Congressman Mike Thompson. Thompson served in combat with the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was also an instructor at the Army's Airborne School.

The ceremony will also honor Mike Hoffschneider, who retired from Contra Costa County as a Veterans Service Representative on October 1, 2020. Mike, an Army Veteran, had over 43 years of combined federal and county public service.

Please contact Contra Costa County Veterans Service Officer Nathan D. Johnson at (925) 313-1481 for any questions about this year’s event.

Canopy Health, a partner of John Muir Health, UCSF Health, and Hill Physicians Medical Group, wants you to be safe and informed this Medicare Annual Enrollment Period 10/15 through 12/7.

Join us for a free online meeting! For dates and times go to jmh.vanbergins.com or hp.vanbergins.com. If you do not have access to a computer, tablet or smart phone, you can also call 925-204-3412 TTY: 711 for dates and times to call in and hear about your Medicare options.

The Lamorinda Cities and Fire Districts in cooperation with Bay Area-based Zonehaven have released the Community Information Portal at https://ccc.community.zonehaven.com.

If any non profits/organizations could be listed as COVID-19 resources, they can be added to the Zonehaven website map, even if they are outside of Lafayette. Contact Duncan Seibert at manager@lamorindacert.org for additional information.

After a remodel at Bank of the West in Lafayette, Vice President, Branch Manager, Chris Lane would like to donate 8 very nice chairs that served in the bank's boardroom to a local non profit. If you are interested, please contact Chris Lane at (925) 284.7072 or via email at chris.lane@bankofthewest.com.

The City of Lafayette is urging everyone to sign-up for the latest information for Lafayette residents and businesses.

You can subscribe to City of Lafayette notifications at https://bit.ly/LafayetteNotifications.

You can also find the latest Information on Covid-19 on the City's website

here: http://bit.ly/LafayetteCoronavirusInfo.

For wildlife resources, go to http://bit.ly/LafAreYouReady.

During the Covid-19 emergency, here is how to contact City of Lafayette

offices: https://bit.ly/LafayetteCovid-19Contact.

The physical office of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will remain closed until further notice. Our staff is still here to help you, just virtually. You can reach us by calling (925) 284-7404 or by sending an email to info@lafayettechamber.org. We'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

COVID-19 is not just a local or business problem. This is a national problem, a world problem. Follow the guidelines and policies. They have been enacted to SAVE LIVES. The best way you can help our community and our businesses is to stay healthy, watch out for your neighbor, and follow social distance recommendations. Let's DO this. Be the model.

We have canceled or postponed all in-person events through December with one exception. In October and now into early November, we will be "running" our Lafayette Res Run for Education event. Please support our schools!

See our calendar for member virtual events.

The Chamber will be posting applicable updates for our businesses and the community to our COVID-19 news page and posting on social media. Check out our posts on Facebook and on Instagram as well as our website's Who's Open page for businesses doing business and working remotely in Lafayette!